WWI German Medical Corps Research

[crazyee]

Hello everyone! This is my first topic so I hope it’s in the proper place.

 

I have quite a few questions regarding the German Medical Corps/Service (Sanitätskorps or Sanitäswesen) during World War One.

 

1. Who was given and wore the cloth trade badge with an Aesculapius? Were they only given to Sanitätsunteroffiziere or to enlisted medical orderlies too? Were stretcher-bearers (not auxiliary) of medical corps given these badges?

 

2. Does anyone know how one became a stretcher-bearer and medical orderly in the Medical Corps? Were the enlisted men trained at a Sanitätsschule? What about Medical NCOs?

 

Thank you in advance.

Edited August 13, 2021 by crazyee

[GreyC]

Hi,

1a) Äskulabstab=Abzeichen für Sanitätsmannschaften:

worn by those medics, tht were part of the Linien-and Garderegimenter and such. uring peacetime one San-Uffz or San-Gefreiter per company, that makes 4 per battailon with infantry and artillery regiments, 5 with cavalry-regiments.

After mobilization of troops per infantry or Jäger-Btl. 1 San-Uffz and 16 medical orderlies. With each battery, escadron or supply unit 1 San Uffz each.

All these wore (from February 1909) the regular uniforms of their respective units and on the right sleeve the Äskulabstab with Schlange, but only to be attached at outbreak of war. It was worn on work-clothes (Drillich), uniformjacket (bunt oder feldgrau), coat or later Bluse M1915. During war on left arm the Red Cross sign. If they worked in a Lazarett they also wore the batch (Jürgen Kraus: Die feldgraue Uniformierung d. deutschen Heeres 1907-1918, Bd. 1, S. 314).

Landsturm units also had medics with the batch.

1b)  Strecher bearers did not have that Aesculab batch. They only wore the Red-Cross brassard.

HILFS-Krankenträger wore a red brassard. Photos of these are RARE.

GreyC

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by GreyC

[crazyee]

thank you very much! 

[Bayern]

Sanitaet Officers ( Medical Officers ) carried de staff and serpent badge on the Shoulder Boards inclusive the Unterarzte . the badge of Veterinarians was the serpent alone . 

[GreyC]

...and Landsturm-Vertragsärzte on the collar plus little star(s) denoting rank.

1) Stabsarzt

2) Landsturmpflichtiger Vertragsarzt

3) Oberveterinär

 

 

 

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by GreyC

[crazyee]

Thank you once again.

 

Does anyone know any answers to the second question though? 

[Glenn J]

3 hours ago, crazyee said:

Were the enlisted men trained at a Sanitätsschule? What about Medical NCOs?

 

This from the Sanitätsbericht über das Deutsche Heer im Weltkrieg 1914/18:

 

Sanitätsunteroffiziere und -Soldaten

 

"The medical other ranks belonged to the class of soldiers with the ranks: Sanitätssoldat, Sanitäts-Gefreiter, Sanitäts-Unteroffizier, Sanitäts-Sergeant, Sanitäts-Vizefeldwebel & Sanitäts-Feldwebel. Following a year in military service, those soldiers who volunteered for medical service attended a six month course at a medical school to be trained in the medical service with the troops and in an hospital. Following successful completion of the course examination, the soldier was promoted to Sanitäts-Gefreiter. They could later be promoted to Sanitäts-Unteroffizier where vacancies occurred and after a further 5 1/2 years to Sanitäts-Sergeant, to Sanitäts-Vizefeldwebel after 9 years of service and Sanitäts-Feldwebel where vacancies on the establishment existed.

 

Regards

Glenn

[GreyC]

From my collection:

The ones with the aesculab-batch are probably instructors, note also the special unit badge of the 11th Bavarian Division on collar.

Edited August 14, 2021 by GreyC

[crazyee]

Were there special medical academies one had to finish to become a medical officer? And were you required to have an university degree to enroll into these (if any)?

[GreyC]

A medical officer for the regular medical units was always a medical doctor. The ones from the Reserve or Labwehr could have studied human medicine anywhere, the professional medical officer (medicine for humans) studied here:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pépinière

There were also pharmacists and vets, they were academics, too.

GreyC

Edited August 14, 2021 by GreyC

[Glenn J]

2 hours ago, crazyee said:

And were you required to have an university degree to enroll into these

 

A prerequisite to attend the Kaiser-Wilhelms Akademie for training as an active medical officer was the holding of the Zeugniss der Reife für das Universitätsstudium, basically a high school leaving certificate qualifying the holder to attend a university.

 

Regards

Glenn

[GreyC]

Well, the Kaiser-Wilhelm Akademie had university-status (had to have it, as they taught medicine on an academic level), the professors at the Academy were delegated active professors at the Berlin University. So the Abitur (Reifezeugnis)  for the students was a "must" no matter were they studied medicine.

GreyC

[crazyee]

You people have some great information!

 

What about the krankenträgers, would they need to complete a medical school?

[Glenn J]

11 hours ago, crazyee said:

What about the krankenträgers, would they need to complete a medical school?

 

In peacetime, Krankenträger were not on the active strength of the army. The Sanitäts-Bericht is not explicit on the training of stretcher bearers. However from reading extracts from the history of the Württemberg medical service in World War I and the annex to the Armee-Verordnungsblatt concerning the exercises of reservists and Landwehr men it seems that special exercise companies were formed yearly for the training of active infantrymen to be trained as stretcher bearers for their respective units (in the case of the Württemberg corps two). Similarly, "exercise" medical companies and field hospitals were formed for the autumn manoeuvres, where reserve medical soldiers and those soldiers assigned as stretcher bearers could be trained and exercised. 

 

Regards

Glenn

[crazyee]

Thank you for your answers Glenn!

 

Could someone also explain to me what would be the job of an independent medical company at Army Corps level and what would be their organization? How exactly did these companies differ from division or regimental levels?

Edited August 15, 2021 by crazyee

[crazyee]

And one more thing, were there any Marinesanitätsschulen already and did the Marine formations have NCO or enlisted medical personnel aside from officers?

[Bayern]

crazyee ,  Give me a couple of days to review my old Herder  dictionary and will be able to give you an answer about the elements of the German sanitaet during WW1

[crazyee]

No problem! Thanks.

[crazyee]

If anyone is still on this topic, I would still like to know about medical attendants in naval infantry formations and also in Landsturm. As far as I know they also had different ranks (at least with officers), which I would appreciate too.

 

Additionally, does anyone also know about organization of medical personnel in infantry units or independent companies?

 

Many thanks as usual.